James smith



, (No Model.)

- J. SMITH.

Manufacture of Car Axles.

No. 243,642. Patented June 28,1881.

f ii E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES SMITH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOSTON FORGECOMPANY, OF SAME PLAOE.

MANUFACTURE OF CAR-AXLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,642, dated June 28,1881.

Application filed April 25, 1881. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES SMITH, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods ofand Dies for Forging the Journals of Car-Axles, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to the operation of forging car-axles, havingnear their ends the usual elongated peripheral depressions or groovesconstituting the journals of the axle, said journals being formed byfirst hammering the heated bar of which the axle is made between a pairof suitably-formed dies and rotating the bar during the hammeringoperation; and, secondly, by turning the axle in a lathe to impart therequired finish to the journals.

Heretofore it has been the custom to em ploy a single pair of diesinforming each journal;

but it is impossible to give the ends of the groove or journal a formclosely approximating the final form to be imparted by the latter, forthe reason that the portion of the axle acted on by the dies in formingthe grooves or journals is elongated by the blows ot' the dies,

so that the ends of the indentations made by each blow of the die aremoved outwardly by the succeeding blow, the result being that the endsof the groove or journal do not conform exactly to the ends of the dies,which are curved or rounded, but are so formed (as hereinafterdescribed) that considerable labor and the removal ot'a considerablequantity of metal are required in finishing the journal in the lathe.

My invention has for its object to enable the grooves or journals ofacar-axle to be brought as nearly as possible to their required form bythe forging operation, so that the amount of labor required and thequantity of metal removed by the finishing operation may be reduced tothe minimum.

To this end my invention consists in the improved method of forging andin the improved series of dies for carrying said method into effect,which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 represents a side elevation of a set of dies embodying my iuvention.Fig. 2 represents a plan view of one of said dies. Figs. 3 and 4respectively represent sections on lines y y and z 2, Fig. 2. Figs. 5,6, 7,8, 9, and 10 represent sectional views, showing the operation offorming a journal under my improvements. Figs. 11, 12, and 13 representsections; and Fig. 14, an elevation, showing the operation as heretoforecarried out.

The same letters of reference relate to the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, a (1. represent the heads or blocks, in which areformed the usual dies, b b c c d d, for forging the car-axles intocylindrical form, and the dies 6 e and ff for forging the journals ofthe axle.

My invention does not relate to the dies 1) b, c c, and d d, said diesbeing of the usual form and arrangement.

The block a is supported rigidly on a suitable bed, and the block a isoperated in the ordinary manner of operating a trip-hammer.

The dies 0 e have projecting faces 0 e and rounded ends e 0 and areadapted to form a groove or incipient journal in a car-axle, g, of alesser length than the completed journal.

In the operation of the dies 6 e on a heated cylindrical bar placedbetween them, each blow of the dies indents and at the same timeelongates the portion of the axle with which it comes in contact. Thusthe first blow forms a slight groove, h, in the axle g, as shown in Fig.6; the next blow deepens the indentation and elongates the indentedportion, so that the ends of the firstindentation are carried slightlyoutward in opposite directions, and so on until the faces 0 e haveentered the axle as far as they are able and formed a groove,

h, of the required depth, as seen in Fig. 8. It will be observedthat theextreme length of this groove is greater than that of the faces 0 0, sothat the ends of the groove donot conform to the rounded ends of thefaces, but extend away from the same, the ends of the groove h beingrough and showing traces of each separate blow of the dies.

The diesff have facesff, which are simi* lar in form to the faces of thedies 0 6, but are longer, their length being equal to that of thecompleted groove orjournal. The dies ffin operation do not increase thedepth of the grooves or journals, and therefore do not elongate theportions of the aXle in which the journals are formed. The only functionof the dies ff is to finish the ends of said grooves, causing them toconform to the rounded endsf f of the faces f f, as shown in Fig. 10.The difference in length between the faces f f and e e is such that verylittle metal is displaced by the ends of the facesf f, the only effectof the latter being to give the desired rounded form to the ends of thejournals, causing them to approximate closely the final form given bythe lathe, so that the minimum of time, labor, and waste of materialattends the finishing operation.

Heretofore each journal has been forged by a single pair of dies ofsubstantially the same form and length as the dies ff. It is obviousthat the ends of the journal formed in this manner (shown in Fig. 14)are precisely like those formed by the first pair of dies, 0 e, thejournal k itself being somewhat longer than that formed by thelast-named dies. It will also be observed that in order to finish thejournal and to bring the ends of the same to their required form muchmore lathe-work is required, and the waste of more metal is producedthan in finishing the journal made after my improved method. I alsosecure greater compactness and durability at the ends of the journal byforging them nearly to their required shape than can be secured by theabove-described method heretofore practiced.

Having thus described my invention, I claim--- 1. The method hereindescribed of. forging car-axles, the same consisting in first forging anincipient journal of less than the required length, but of the properdepth, and, secondly, elongating and finishing the ends of the incipientjournal so formed without increasing the depth thereof, substantially asset forth.

2. As a mrans for forging journals in caraxles, a series of dies, 6 eand ff, provided respectively with faces 6 e and f f, the latter facesbeing ofsubstanlially the same length as the completed journal and theformer of lesser length, as set forth.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witne'sses, this 22d day of April, A. D.1881.

JAMES SMITH.

WVitnesses:

H. G.WADLIN, W. CLIMo.

